The morning mist still shrouded the forest around Qinghe Village as Lin Tianyuan and his father walked out of the ancient cave.
The sky had just begun to blush with the light of the sun.
Spirit birds flew across the tall trees.
But to Tianyuan…
the world felt different.
So very different.
Every breath he took made him feel the gentle flow of energy in the air.
Qi.
Something he once only heard about from the stories of the village hunters.
Now he could feel it clearly.
Tianyuan stared at his own hands.
A strange feeling arose in his heart.
"Father… am I really a cultivator now?"
Lin Feng walked a few steps ahead of him. He did not answer immediately.
The morning wind blew through his long hair.
After a moment, he spoke softly,
"Yes."
"But the path you walk may be different from others."
Tianyuan furrowed his brows.
"What do you mean, Father?"
Lin Feng stopped walking.
He turned and looked deeply at his son.
"Do you know what every cultivator possesses?"
Tianyuan thought for a moment.
"An Essence Core."
Lin Feng nodded.
"That's right."
"An Essence Core is the heart of a cultivator's power. It forms from one's understanding of themselves and the world."
"Some have the essence of fire."
"Some have the essence of swords."
"Some even have concepts like wind, ice, or lightning."
Tianyuan nodded.
Things like this were often told by the village elders.
But Lin Feng continued in a deeper voice.
"However…"
"Your essence is different."
Tianyuan froze.
"Father… have you seen it?"
Lin Feng did not answer directly.
Instead, he said,
"Try sensing the core inside your body."
Tianyuan closed his eyes.
His consciousness slowly entered his body.
And for the first time…
he truly saw it.
Inside his dantian…
a small black core rotated slowly.
But it did not emit light like an ordinary Essence Core.
Instead…
it was like a tiny vortex.
As if it could swallow everything.
Tianyuan opened his eyes in shock.
"Father… this core…"
Lin Feng sighed softly.
"Yes."
"That core is no ordinary Essence Core."
"But for now… you don't need to think too much about it."
Tianyuan still wanted to ask.
But his father suddenly turned toward the forest.
His eyes narrowed.
"It seems we have guests."
Tianyuan immediately became alert.
A few seconds later, the bushes in front of them rustled violently.
A large beast emerged from behind the trees.
Its body was muscular.
Its skin was like stone.
Its fangs were long and sharp.
It was a Stone Fang Beast.
A low-level Origin Beast that often attacked village hunters.
The beast stared at them with red eyes.
It growled lowly.
Tianyuan immediately felt his heart beat fast.
But this time…
he did not feel fear like before.
Instead…
there was a strange urge inside him.
As if something in his body was whispering.
Kill.
Lin Feng glanced at his son.
"Tianyuan."
"Yes?"
"Try facing this beast."
Tianyuan's eyes widened.
"Father… me?"
Lin Feng nodded.
"This is your first test."
Tianyuan swallowed hard.
But he still stepped forward.
The Stone Fang Beast roared and charged.
The ground trembled as the creature ran.
But Tianyuan did not run.
He took a deep breath.
The qi around him immediately flowed into his body.
His hand clenched into a fist.
The next moment—
he jumped to the side, dodging the beast's attack.
His movement was far faster than before.
Even Tianyuan himself was surprised.
The Stone Fang Beast turned and attacked again.
This time, Tianyuan advanced.
He raised the small hunting knife in his hand.
As the beast opened its mouth—
Tianyuan stabbed straight into its throat.
The knife sank into the flesh.
The beast roared in pain.
But Tianyuan did not stop.
He twisted his body and pulled the knife downward.
Blood gushed out.
The Stone Fang Beast fell heavily to the ground.
A few seconds later…
the creature did not move anymore.
Tianyuan stood still.
His breathing was heavy.
He could not believe what he had just done.
He had actually killed an Origin Beast.
But just then, something strange happened.
The dead beast's body suddenly emitted a dim light.
A small core slowly emerged from its chest.
An Essence Core.
But before the core could fully come out—
the black core in Tianyuan's body suddenly vibrated.
An invisible force pulled the Essence Core toward it.
WHOOSH.
The beast's core instantly turned into a stream of energy that entered Tianyuan's body.
Tianyuan froze.
He felt a massive amount of energy flow into his black core.
The energy was immediately absorbed.
Digested.
Then spread throughout his entire body.
His bones felt stronger.
His blood felt hotter.
A few seconds later, everything calmed down.
Tianyuan stood still with a shocked face.
"Father…!"
"I… I absorbed its essence!"
Lin Feng also fell silent.
Even though he had suspected something…
seeing it with his own eyes still surprised him.
Normally, an Essence Core could only be absorbed through special techniques.
Even then, it was extremely dangerous.
But Tianyuan…
did it naturally.
As if his body was truly made for this.
Lin Feng finally smiled slightly.
"It seems… your cultivation path is indeed different."
Tianyuan still stared at the dead beast's body.
A strange feeling arose in his heart.
He did not feel guilty.
He did not feel afraid.
Instead…
he felt stronger.
As if killing the creature was something natural.
Lin Feng watched his son's expression carefully.
In his heart, he thought,
"This path… may make him extremely strong."
"But also extremely dangerous."
He looked at the sky for a moment.
The Primordial Vast Continent was vast.
Qinghe Village was just a small place.
But one day…
Tianyuan would surely leave this place.
And when that day came…
a much larger world would be waiting for him.
Lin Feng looked back at his son.
"Tianyuan."
"Yes, Father?"
"We must start your training seriously."
"Because if you want to walk this path…"
"you must become much stronger."
Tianyuan nodded.
He did not know how big the world outside was.
But one thing was clear.
His life would never be the same again.
And deep within the black core in his body…
an ancient energy slowly pulsed.
As if waiting for the day when its power would truly awaken.
A legend that even the world had never seen before…
was slowly beginning to take shape.